


Halloween Redeemed

by justdk



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2019-01-27 16:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12586396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justdk/pseuds/justdk
Summary: Nicky Hemmick's perfect Halloween with the Foxes





	Halloween Redeemed

It starts like this:

Rhinestone encrusted stilettos. Pure white fishnets. Short, lacy ivory shorts (borrowed from Allison for one night only). Delicate feathery wings and an elegant golden halo. Makeup, of course. Top it all off with silver and white glitter that looks fantastic against his darker skin.

“Won’t you be cold?” Neil asks. Of course the pretty runaway is thinking of practicalities and not of—

“Holy fucking shit, Hemmick!” That’s Allison. “Did your ass always look that amazing?”

“God, stop it,” Aaron moans. “He’s gonna have dudes trying to cop a feel all night. Andrew and I are going to be run ragged chasing them off.”

“Shhh.” Nicky shushes Aaron, one finger pressed to his lips before Aaron knocks his hand away. “All will be well. I’m an angel, right? Too divine to touch.”

“Right…” Matt drawls, eyebrows raised. Dan elbows him in the side.

Andrew, predictably, has yet to chime in. He’s too busy fixing Neil’s fox ears. Kevin looks disconcerted but keeps his mouth shut, too. Probably banking on the team leaving sooner if he can cut out the chit-chat.

“I think you look lovely,” Renee says. She reaches up to adjust the halo and smiles serenely. Tonight she’s been dressed by Allison in a costume that Nicky immediately recognizes and appreciates: Rogue from X-Men. Allison is going as Mystique—the blue skin version. Her costume only covers slightly more skin than Nicky’s.

“Are we ready?” Dan asks, surveying their group. Her face is lined with tiger stripes and she looks fierce and gorgeous, as usual. “Last time I checked the new foxes were doing their own Halloween initiation ritual.”

Nicky shivers, glad that he’s missing out on _that_ party.

Andrew turns and heads out, expecting his group to follow, which they do. Nicky trails behind, feeling light and impossibly positive.

This is how it unfolds:

Eden’s. Glow sticks and body paint. Dance remixes of horror movie soundtracks. Heat and sweaty limbs, hands reaching up up up. The slide of skin against skin weaving through the crowd. Shots. More shots. A hand on his wrist. Andrew at his side shoving some asshole away. Neil’s blue eyes shining under the black light as he slides under Andrew’s arm. Kevin dancing with a smile on his face. _This is Halloween_. Roland’s admiring gaze. Glitter everywhere. Sticky hands. Allison and Renee dancing together, Dan and Matt missing. Aaron returning from the alley with Katelyn in tow. Silver lights strobing. Happiness. Euphoria. Bliss. Heaven is here…

This is how it winds down:

The house. Late and they’re drunk but no one has blacked out and Renee and Neil are passing out waters while Matt and Aaron fumble at starting a fire. Takeout pumpkin pie from Waffle House and a whole can of whipped cream. Someone planned ahead and there is whipped cream vodka, too. Hard cider. Katelyn starts making hot chocolate with Bailey’s and Andrew may have actually thanked her for the sweet beverage. Neil drops a blanket over Nicky’s shivering shoulders and returns to Andrew’s side, leaning his head on Andrew’s broad shoulder.

Nicky’s halo is missing and he feels a little sad about that. Especially since he can’t get Beyonce’s Halo out of his brain. He wants to call Erik again but he also doesn’t want to leave this cozy, boozy spot next to the fire.

“Tell us a scary story,” Allison says, her hand on Renee’s arm, fingers stroking over her long gloves.

“A ghost story?” Renee asks and looks around the circle for their response.

Those who are aware of what’s going on nod, the others just smile contently. Nicky manages to do both.

Renee skewers a marshmallow and holds it above the flames, her forehead creased.

“Okay,” she says, “I’ve got one. There once was a man who lived on the edge of the cemetery…”

The story Renee spins is full of chilling moments and is so eerie that Nicky feels compelled to keep looking over his shoulder, checking the dark yard for glowing red eyes.

“…the next day they found his body at the bottom of a freshly dug grave. He looked to be asleep except that his eyes were missing! To this day visitors who stay too late in the cemetery report seeing  _something_ with strange green eyes following them. Not animal eyes, but human. Except for their unnatural glow.”

Everyone shivers appreciatively. Matt tells the next story, then Allison. Kevin tells a short, awful tale about doppelgangers and Neil tells a “true story” from his travels in Mexico. Nicky thinks and thinks but he can’t think up a story until Neil finishes his.

“Have any of you been to a Tribulation Trail?” Nicky asks. His teammates – his friends – shake their heads but Renee has a look about her that says she can guess where this is going. Nicky sips some more cider before continuing.

“How about a Hell House? Reformation Day Party? Trunk or Treat?” He’s met with blank stares. Well, that was to be expected. Nicky stretches his long legs towards the fire and leans back in the lawn chair. He’s not sure why he wants to tell them this, but…

“Those are the types of Halloween parties I went to as a kid. Being a PK, a preacher’s kid, meant that we didn’t celebrate Halloween. I dressed up as Bible characters for these events. Don’t laugh, Kevin. That was the only option.” Nicky sighs heavily. “When you’re a kid you get to go to Trunk or Treat and Reformation Day parties, which is like a family fall gathering. Lots of candy and good food but nothing spooky or demonic. When you get to be teen they try to scare you into being good. Make you so terrified of hell that you never sin again, right? That’s where the Hell Houses and Tribulation Trails come in. Come see the sodomites burning in agony forever and shit like that.” Nicky drains his bottle of cider. The group is completely silent, eyes fixed on him.

“And I tried to live according to their rules. I did. But one year I dressed up as an angel, nothing like this. Long white robe, wings, halo. My dad yelled at me, made me change, said I looked like a girl. Well, that night, when he dropped me off at the Tribulation Trail I snuck into the bathroom and changed. From Moses to angel. Most of the night was pretty boring and sucky except… there was this one devil who kept staring at me. Like really staring. So I can take a hint, right? And I end up following him into the corn maze…”

“Is this a sex story?” Aaron interrupts. “Because if it is I want to be able to cover my ears.” Katelyn nudges Aaron with her elbow. “No, I’m not being a bastard it’s just… you’re family, Nick. Makes me feel weird.”

Nicky shrugs eloquently. “Things happened in the maze. Wonderful things.” He grins while Aaron buries his face in his hands. “But the point, my friends, is this! Later, when I asked the kids from my youth group about the devil guy no one knew who I was talking about. I asked around the church and _no one knew him_.” Nicky lets the silence build. “I’m just saying… I might have gotten laid by a real life devil. Spooky, right?”

Allison snorts. “Only you would get laid at a church event, Nicky.”

“It’s actually more common than you would think, Allison,” Nicky replies. Renee lifts her eyes to the heavens, an apology on her lips.

Neil looks perturbed and mutters to Andrew, “It’s spookier that he would even go into a corn maze at night…”

Andrew pinches Neil’s nose and asks if he’s afraid of corn.

“Yes! It’s so tall! We could get lost forever!” Neil says, panicked. He’s definitely on the drunk side and it’s showing, from his flushed cheeks to the wide-eyed look in his eyes. Adorable.

Not long after Nicky’s story they all turn in for the night. Beds are fought over and Nicky ends up sharing with Kevin, who he has to put to bed first. Nicky sends a good night text to Erik and crawls beneath the sheets, his back to Kevin as he reads over Erik’s reply. He feels warm and happy and safe—light years away from those awful Halloweens spent with his family and their rigid church. Voices from downstairs carry into his room and he falls asleep listening to the quiet rise and fall of conversation and Kevin’s breathing. He says a prayer of thanks to God and the angels for giving him a golden, perfect Halloween.

**Author's Note:**

> As a PK and a lifetime resident of rural Georgia I grew up like Nicky and I still feel kinda bitter that I never got to go trick or treating. So here’s me giving a fellow PK a perfect Halloween night. Wishing all of you the best! <3
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @dkafterdark


End file.
